Amy Nicholson and Fin McGuirk, both of Newmarket, were among many who sampled various chocolate recipes and voted at the Chocolate Fest held Saturday by the Friends of the Newmarket Public Library. (Courtesy photo)

NEWMARKET — The Friends of the Newmarket Public Library awarded $80 in cash prizes to two winners of its Chocolate Fest on Saturday, March 23.

The Friends also met their fundraising goals to raise money for library materials and programs through sales of tickets to the fest.

Ticket holders could cast one vote each for their favorite chocolate treats in two categories, Business or Individual. The top vote winners each received $40 and a ribbon.

The first place winner in the Individual category was Solon James of Exeter for his entry, Raspberry Truffle Brownies. James described his entry as “rich, semisweet chocolate brownies with Raspberry Extract mixed in, then topped with a raspberry chocolate glaze.”

The second highest number of votes went to Buddy Vaughan for a torte called Death By Chocolate.

The first place winner in the Business category was Barbara Gomes Corano of the Pao Brazilian Café, located at 170 Main St. in Newmarket, for Brigadeiro, “a Brazilian dessert cross between fudge and toffee.”

In other news, the Friends of the Newmarket Public Library's first anniversary is coming up soon, as the Friends' first meeting was in April, 2012. Its mission is to provide additional money to the library for materials, equipment, and/or services, as well as to raise awareness of the library's offerings. Their current goal is to raise money for museum passes.

If you would like to become a Friend of the Library, or participate as a voting board member, pick up a membership form in the library or email the Friends at fnewmarketl@yahoo.com for more information.